


Waltz

by Bass_Line



Series: Deer And Wolf [2]
Category: Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem (Visual Novel)
Genre: I find it hard to make conversations dangerous yet playful..., Penelope says the boldest things at times, Round 2 of torturing Penelope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21769939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bass_Line/pseuds/Bass_Line
Summary: If there was one thing that Penelope learnt, it was that having a partner as beautiful as a masterwork sculpture meant that the pressure of her feet was just as heavy as one.
Series: Deer And Wolf [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1568932
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Waltz

**Author's Note:**

> It's not that I hate Penelope, it's just that the idea of her having some form of a relationship with Gisette intrigued me. 
> 
> (As much as I would love to pair them together romantically, I don't think it'll work out well...)

"Your highness, it's a pleasure to see you." Penelope flinched as Gisette sunk into a perfectly mannered curtsy, a warm smile painted on her delicate features. Penelope wasn't sure just how warm Gisette's smile truly was, but from what she knew… "I'm deeply regretful that I had to turn down your invitation to tea."

"N-No worries?" If it was regretful for Gisette, then it was a relief for Lisle. Her brother was constantly worried about Gisette coming for tea, then came her sincerest apologies for not being able to attend Penelope's tea session. "Are you… are you practicing for the ball?"

"Oh my, have you forgotten that we have an upcoming play to perform?" Gisette asked, her eyebrows raised in mock shock. Penelope wondered why did she come to the ballroom to practice when she was decent at it. Still, Lisle said that she could learn how to be charismatic from the way delegates interacted with each other. "I dearly hope you're just teasing me, for I look forward to performing alongside you."

"Y-Yes, as am I." That was a lie, and Penelope was sure that both princesses knew it. Gisette smiled, exactly what kind of a smile was unknown to the Wellin princess as she was being led into a waltz. "Y-Your highness?!"

"This is a ballroom, therefore it's appropriate for us to dance." Gisette coolly replied, her purple-blue eyes narrowing like how a predator would upon trapping its prey. "Unless… you think that there's a hidden motive involved?"

"Isn't there?" Penelope was shocked at how confident her words came out, while Gisette nodded with respect at the former's confidence. Penelope sighed, a part of her dearly hoped that Gisette had no motive in their current waltz. "What do you wish from me?"

"Ah, but if I told you it'll spoil the fun."

"I-I think that there's nothing fun about leaving people in the dark for your…" Penelope struggled to come up with a word that could accurately describe Gisette's actions. In fact, she struggled to come up with reasons to why she was still interacting with the Revaire princess despite Lisle's (valid) worries.

"Nefarious deeds?" Gisette helpfully supplied, coldly laughing as Penelope's eyes widened in horror. "My, were you trying to spare my feelings by sugarcoating my morals?"

"I-I…"

"How's your finger? I hope it didn't get infected with something nasty, you've such delicate fingers after all." Penelope said nothing, how was it that Gisette could change topics as though nothing had happened? Was this why the Revaire princess was so feared? Gisette sighed, gently rubbing said finger. "You're more sullen than usual, is there something on your mind?"

"You." Penelope replied swiftly, her pale pink eyes widening in horror as she realised the gravity of her words. Gisette smiled innocently, as though she failed to hear Penelope's reply. Her eyes betrayed her delight upon hearing such a reply, no matter how ill-phrased it was. "M-My apologies! I didn't mean-"

"Oh, none at all. I'm sure my dancing will prove more memorable than myself." Gisette teased, with the Wellin princess wincing as the former stepped on her right foot. She had realised this from the moment she was led into a waltz, but graceful was clearly not in Gisette's dictionary. That came as a surprise to Penelope, unless it was simply a way to lower her defences. "How are your feet holding up?"

"It's..!" Penelope had to suppress a whine, was Gisette purposely stepping on her feet at that point? She tried searching for any trace of amusement in the Revaire princess's eyes, but all she saw was mild frustration and worry. "P-Perfectly fine…!"

"How resilient of you." Gisette purred, a seductive smile flashing across her face. It was gone as sudden as it came, a polite smile now painted on her features. With every step her partner took, Penelope's feet would be casualties. "There's something on my mind, and I think you have the answer to it."

"I-I would be happy to help." Penelope winced again, not only was Gisette bad at dancing, the steps she took were surprisingly harder than she expected. Who knew that the petite princess walked with heavy footsteps? Or maybe that was only when she danced, either way it was still surprising. Gisette hummed in amusement, twirling Penelope around and nearly dropping her. Whether that was accidental or not, only Gisette knew. _'... I get the feeling that if she truly dropped me, it'll be an actual accident…'_

"I wonder, why did you invite me to tea?" Penelope wasn't surprised by this question, even Lisle had asked her about it. Even _she_ questioned herself as she wrote the invitation, despite harbouring the thought that it was to learn about poise from Gisette. And to ask about the perfume she wore that day, but that wasn't particularly important. "We both know that you find me frightening, and I must say, I don't think we'll have anything in common to talk about. So why?"

"... I think there are many things I can learn from you, regardless of how I feel towards you." Both of Gisette's eyebrows raised out of respect towards the Wellin princess, the latter had demonstrated confidence that Gisette would never dream of seeing at the summit. She laughed in response, her laughter reminding Penelope of the Jiyel wind chime-like chuckle the last time they met. "I… I actually wanted to ask you about the perfume you wore that day."

"Ah, it's one of my favourites. I…" Gisette paused, as though considering how much she should tell Penelope. "I picked it up when I visited Wellin a few years back."

"Can you afford to visit Wellin when Revaire is…" Penelope gasped, realising what she had nearly just said. Or what she had implied, both options led to the same outcome. Instead of a cold expression, Gisette looked genuinely impressed. _'I don't know which is worse, impressing or angering Princess Gisette. I think both.'_

"You're not as naive as you appear to be, and you have some iron in you. What a delightful realisation." Gisette commented, her next words resembling more of whispers. "Though I suppose you shouldn't let others know how capable you can truly be."

"I-Is that why you're stepping on my feet at every opportunity?"

"Like what I've mentioned before, I'm really no good when it comes to such a delicate activity." Gisette shrugged, ending their waltz. Penelope sighed in relief, she really needed to lie down after getting her feet stepped on. Maybe if she was lucky, she could persuade her brother to take a break from his work. "... You're an interesting lady. You're clearly a pushover, yet you say the most surprising things at times. I should hate you, yet I can't bring myself to. What say you, Penelope of Wellin?"

 _'... Is this another disguised trap? Why can't we just be two princesses arguing over ethics? Actually, is that even a good thing? I would much rather be friends than enemies…'_ Penelope thought to herself, raising her eyebrows to acknowledge the question but choosing not to respond. Gisette pouted, pulling Penelope closer to her by sharply tugging the Wellin princess's arm downwards."Y-Your highness?"

"I have a name you know." Gisette was practically purring beside Penelope's ear, and while the latter couldn't see the Revaire princess's expression, she could imagine her smirking in triumph over a victory she had no clue to. "Unless you've forgotten my name…?"

"... Princess Gisette-"

"Just Gisette will do."

"... Why are our interactions always so…" Penelope struggled to find a word that could describe their interactions, but none came to mind. They were dangerous, scandalous, intimidating, she could go on with a list of descriptions but there would never be a single word to sum up her thoughts. "D-Do you _always_ have to play these… what do you call it?"

"You mean games?" Penelope nodded, finally the word that could sum up their interactions came to mind. Their interactions were always like a game, with Penelope as the pawn and Gisette the queen. "... It's a difficult period in Revaire, surely you can't blame me for protecting myself."

"Is there really a need to be so cruel though?" Gisette sighed, though not out of irritation. She really meant it when she admitted that she couldn't hate Penelope as much as she had to. She was far too likeable for her own good, and maybe that was for the best. If only Penelope knew how to play things to her favour, she could end up as a player of the grand game. The Revaire princess sighed once more, perhaps it was for the best that she was nothing more than a pawn, at least life was much simpler for the poor lady. "... I apologise, that was inappropriate of me."

"Wouldn't it be much simpler if we leave it to a difference in opinion?" Gisette asked, navigating the conversation back into calmer waters. Penelope nodded sadly, she truly wanted an answer from Gisette… even though she knew that the answer wouldn't be satisfactory and would lead to more questions. A never-ending cycle to sum up. "I must say, dancing without a crowd is much more reassuring. The right partner helps to calm the nerves, wouldn't you agree?"

 _'I don't feel calm at all though… but Princess Gisette seems nicer today, even if she's still kind of scary and dangerous…'_ Penelope nodded in agreement, her eyes widening as she fully took in her surroundings. True to Gisette's words, the ballroom was devoid of people save for them. It's rather normal to see no delegates in the ballroom, but to not have any servants? That was concerning, which led to Penelope suspecting that Gisette may have had something to do with it. "Your highness-"

"Keep this up and I'll begin to think that you really don't remember my name."

" _Gisette_." Penelope complied, but the way she said the Revaire princess's name, it almost scared Gisette. _Almost_. "Did you have something to do with our lack of audience?"

"You're getting more confident Penelope, I'm sure your brother approves." Gisette laughed mockingly, fully indicating that she was no longer genuine with Penelope. Not as much as Penelope had seen so far. "Since I'm in a good mood today, I suppose I can grant you with the truth."

"W-Which is?" Penelope dearly hoped that this wasn't Gisette's way of trapping her into something sinister. Like a murder, she wouldn't it put it past the Revaire princess. In fact, who was to say that she wasn't responsible for the murder of poor Lord Adalric? She had heard rumours that his match with Lady Estelle of Arland left her in a poor mood, though she had no idea what could she have against the Arland lady. She had also heard rumours that his ties with the Revaire royal family had darker reasons, which was probably normal in Revaire politics.

"I may or may not have provided a few servants incentives to leave the ballroom alone, except for the two of us."

"Surely that wouldn't extend to the delegates though?"

"Said servants may or may not be incentivised to prevent the delegates from entering a ballroom with unstable chandeliers." Penelope instinctively looked up, amusing Gisette greatly. "Relax, those chandeliers are perfectly fine. Sabotaging them isn't how I would go about furthering my plans."

"S-Should I be concerned that you're willingly admitting your methods of murdering someone, or worried that you're willing to let your guard around me?" Gisette studied the Wellin princess, even though it was clear that Penelope was incapable of ill intent. Should she mock Penelope for being so naive, naive to think that she had allowed her guard to drop around her?

 _'Another day perhaps.'_ Gisette smiled mysteriously, swiftly pressing her lips against Penelope's. Before she could react, Gisette maneuvered herself away from the Wellin princess such that there was an appropriate amount of distance between them. "I hope that will soothe your poor feet, dancing is _such_ a trying activity."

"I-I…" Penelope wasn't sure what to make of that kiss, but it wasn't as if she could confront Gisette about it. At least she was still present, though it wasn't as if she could simply blurt out her questions for Gisette. "Thank you for your concerns."

"I'm sure performing alongside you will be a treat for me." Penelope wondered how true was that statement, though she was much more concerned about freezing up on stage. "If you happen to be nervous on stage, I would suggest that you picture me in an… _intimate_ position."

"T-That's…!" Gisette smiled innocently, leaving the ballroom. Penelope could feel her face growing hotter with every passing second, just what did Gisette stand to gain by interacting with her? First the servants' quarters, now the ballroom, and both in such intimate settings. The Wellin princess shook her head in a bid to clear her thoughts, to no avail. _'I'm even more nervous for the upcoming performance now…'_

**Author's Note:**

> I believe that Penelope knows what's going on more than she lets on, being naive doesn't mean that you're oblivious after all.


End file.
